Birthday Party Games Lady Blog

I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. The 13th birthday party is a tough one. They’re definitely no longer children, but they’re not yet adults either. And that means the 13th birthday party has to be different from what they’ve had in the past, but still age appropriate and sufficiently engaging to snuff out those group behavior dynamics we parents all want to avoid.

Put just about any group of 13 year old together and you get social posturing - in spades. Every action, every word, is designed to impress the group, to raise the social standing or change the existing social order. It’s not a bad thing in and of itself- it’s what they’re supposed to be doing at this age: finding out who they are and where they fit. It just makes for some very awkward moments and can be very discomforting for parents to watch.

Certain situations, like the classroom, are recognized by the kids to be relatively ’safe-zones’ where their actions don’t so much impact their social world. But a party- that’s the ultimate test for these kids.

Structure your young teen birthday party to provide a similarly ’safe-zone’, and the pressure’s off. And for many kids, that’s a relief.

It turns out the Medieval Madness murder-mystery provides just such structure. As a role-playing party, the kids get to be somebody else for the duration - so they’re free to act their parts with minimal social repercussions. It’s all part of the game- it’s not for real.

They find the murder mystery game to be terrific fun, and it keeps them engaged in the game for the entire time, so no loose cannons making problems.

Look no further for the best of all 13th birthday party ideas. It’s fun, it keeps ‘em in line, it’s cheap and easy to host, and gives the kids a chance to try on a new persona for a few hours without social consequences.

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I read with delight the Silicon Valley Moms blog about abandoning my least favorite birthday party custom- the Goodie Bag. I could go on for days about how our society does more to turn our kids into consumers rather than happy people and teaches them that ‘things’ mean happiness- but that’s not exactly on topic.

Birthday Party Games Lady party packages were very consciously created to redefine the ‘fun’ of a birthday party. I created my first one for my eldest daughter in response to her desire for a mystery party like several she’d been too- that cost almost $1000 hosted by a party person. No way was I going to shell out that kind of money. So I wrote it myself. After seeing how much enjoyment the kids had playing the game, interacting with each other and using their imaginations and creativity, I quickly realized that destination parties and other more ostentatious forms of birthday party ‘fun’ were just not necessary.

We parents can’t easily control the desire for ‘things’ that our kids get from school and the society they live in. But we can control what goes on in our own home. And as the parent of an elementary school child or a young teen, we do have control over the annual rite of the birthday party.

It’s always a trade-off between time and money, and today’s family with two working parents and very busy schedules often tips the scale toward money rather than time. But there are an infinite variety of activities that a small time investment can turn into good party fun without a big expenditure. Birthday Party Games Lady party packages aim to do just that.

A successful, fun birthday party is a great gift to your child. It shows your love, it allows your child to share their happiness with friends, and it makes your child feel really special. What do goodie bags contribute, except more expense. Forget ‘em!!

P.S. The same goes for expensive paper plates, napkins and the like- they barely even look at them!

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The Outdoor Birthday Party: what a relief from the worries about getting a trashed house from a winter kids birthday party, the headaches of figuring out engaging activities for the kids and putting together a memorable celebration for your birthday child. Just throw them out in the backyard and let it roll. Or go for that summer favorite: the ‘Pool - Pizza - Pinata’ party. In other words, the same party every other summer birthday parent is having, or having the kids do the same things they do every day during the summer. Not very memorable or special, is it? You can do MUCH better, just as easily.

Practically any birthday party games you might want can be done outdoors, although the reverse is definitely not true. And if the sky opens up on your party- you’d better have a back-up plan in place or you’ll be dealing with a very unhappy birthday child!

Your best summer birthday plan is to choose exciting games to keep the kids engaged in your party, but games that can be played outdoors OR inside if necessary. Choose outdoor birthday party games like the ones from Birthday Party Games Lady and you’ll have a unique and special party that’s still very easy to put together, inexpensive and not very time consuming to prepare.

If you live in Camelot (..it never rains ’till after sundown) or a similary blessed climate, or have a quite mature child who can deal with a postponement, here are several other good ideas for an outdoor birthday party:

Summer Birthday Party ideas for boys 4, 5 and 6 years old - Summer is a great time to have a birthday party. There are a lot of options available for every budget, from free to as expensive as your budget can handle. There are a lot of outdoor activities and locations for parties, …

Birthday Party - Low Low Low - Following the magic party equation; number of party guests = child’s age + 1 (or maybe 2 to include sibling). activities #1. Playing with outdoor stuff we already have (smart huh?). Have tents, play parachute, have slides & swings. …

Unique Outdoor Birthday Party - If you’re planning an outdoor birthday celebration, here’s an idea that allows guests to have fun while learning basic survival skills.

Sports Party Games Go, Team, Go! - A Sports party theme for a birthday party or special event or holiday can include sports like football, baseball, tennis, soccer, the possibilities are endless! Here are some general fun party games to play at a sports themed party. …

Sports Themed Birthday Party - One of the best parties was when we threw a Sports Party for Ethan’s 3rd birthday. Things that were big hits:. LARGE basketball pinata that I hung from our outdoor basketball hoop. The kids used baseball bats and hockey sticks to hit it …

Teen Birthday Party Hawaiian Luau - Fun Hawaiian luau dance and party ideas for teens, including decorating, activities, favors, party food and drinks for aa Polynesian tropical island theme party.

Your summer birthday child doesn’t get the big day in school on their birthday. In many ways, that makes their summer birthday party an even bigger deal to the child. The “same old” just doesn’t cut it. Be a hero – plan an exciting and different party for your summer baby.

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6 year olds are still little kids, but having been to school they think they’re more grown up so you’ve got a fine line to walk in keeping them properly entertained at your birthday party.

Keep as much as possible a group activity. You’ll avoid any meltdowns from performance anxiety that even a simple game like Charades can induce in some kids. Mix the groups up as needed to prevent the group dynamics from getting out of hand; they’ll just think the changes were part of your original plan.

Directions for what they’re going to be doing need to be kept simple and short to match their abbreviated attention spans. Adding a twist to a game or activity that they already know how to do or play keeps the instructions brief and allows you to bend things to reflect your overall theme. Continuing your theme from one activity to the next will also help keep everybody on board and tuned in.

Be flexible. If a certain activity isn’t engaging the kids or you’re seeing frustration, give it up and move on to another activity. Have more activities ready to go than you expect to use just to cover this situation.

Small motor skills are still all over the lot with 6 year olds, with some kids able and some not. Therefore, I don’t recommend craft activities for this age group as some may have a very hard time, be embarrassed, maybe even act out. It’s important to remember that your child isn’t the only one at the party and what your child can easily do may be difficult for others ( and, of course, vice versa).

Lastly, I strongly recommend keeping the sugar intake to a minimum with this young age group. I’d rather vacuum up the popcorn that gets spilled than deal with 10 sugar highs.

You can see more of my thoughts on birthday party games for 6 year olds on my website.

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You want a truly unique birthday party for your child, and you figure you can’t have that when you purchase a party package on-line? NOT TRUE!!

Many of my clients add their own ideas and make subtle (and not so subtle) changes to my birthday party games packages that add a whole new dimension to the party. It’s not necessary, and usually adds to the cost, but the results can be well worth it.

Here’s a good example from Joanne in North Dakota:

[We] had Taylors b-day party [the Magica theater party game] this past Sat. and the girls had a blast!!! Taylor was of course the main princess and we rented a beautiful dress and had her done in an “updo” and had a tiara. All of the girls were dressed in their parts and at the end stated, “this was the best b-day party ever!” The parents loved it as well.

The castle was fun to make as my husband made that out of boxes and he painted them. He also made the drawbridge and dungeon out of a box.

The girls held their scripts for the play, but some also memorized their parts. It took a while to run through the first time. The best part was the girls were entertained the entire 3 hours and were never bored. After the first run through, we had presents and build your own sundaes and then went through it 1 1/2 more times before parents arrived.

My daughter wants to do a “part 2″ for next year—–any ideas??? haha

She loved to get dressed up and get her hair fixed. All the girls were in 3rd grade.

Making the props took the longest time [and is totally optional] —everything else was easy.

For the price of a rented dress and the salon visit, Taylor really WAS a princess for her day. You can bet she’ll remember this birthday for a long, long time.

Don’t be afraid to add your own ideas- the results can be terrific. As my birthday party packages are designed to save parents as much money as possible, I don’t include these add-ons, but there’s room for them in each of my 5 birthday party games packages. Your birthday party ideas + my games = TRULY UNIQUE and MEMORABLE.

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Pre-teens, and teenagers too, still have wonderful imaginations that they truly enjoy using. Any birthday party game that gives them a structure within which to exercise those brain cells is a guaranteed hit. And they end up entertaining themselves!

Sharon from New Zealand wrote me a note that certainly shows how that creativity flowed during her Medieval Party. Now this was a 16th birthday party, “and most of the guests were 15 and 16, with my son being the youngest at 12, and ‘King Stephen’ and Queen Hedwig’ being the oldest (apart from me!), they are in their late 20’s. It definitely wasn’t ‘too young’ for them, and even the shyest guest took full part- the detailed parts really helped.”

Here’s the rest of what Sharon had to say:

“The party was an all round success. To entertain a bunch of teenagers for that long, with no trouble, was fantastic. They all really got into their parts, they all dressed up fantastically (as you can see from the photos![*]) and it was all so easy to run!

I did have one “group” plan their own murder, and they came to me just before the dinner to ask when they should carry out the murder! The friend who played King Steven did a well rehearsed 10 minute death scene!! And the court session took on a life of it’s own, with someone suggesting the King committed suicide, Princess Sarah claiming she was pregnant to Prime Minister Kinsha and Queen Mathilda claiming that was impossible, as he was having an affair with her! (Much more involved than with 11 year olds!!) And the next day when I was cleaning up, I found a note that said “Kill the king tonight, poison his wine. Signed Princess Celine” but it was in Princess Sarah’s handwriting! At one point in the Court session, they seemed to be ganging up on Prince John, and he “made a run for the door”, but in the end, the “guilty” vote went to Princess Celine. And Sarah got the vote for the crown! (Although the executioner got one vote as well!)

After that we had dessert, and then the kids all sat round talking, laughing, singing, and we even had some almost medieval music! When the parents came to pick the kids up, none of them moved - no one wanted to go home!! It was definitely worth the money, and we will no doubt be back in touch for the next party!! Many, many thanks for setting this up, and making it so easy!”

[*] As I don’t have releases for publishing photos of all or any of the kids in the photos, I’m afraid I can’t share them with you here.

Now kids of this age certainly dig deeper and take things farther than the younger crowd, but there have been reports of bigamy and trigamy (probably not a word- but you know what I’m getting at), additional murders, and even a kidnapping at parties for 11 and 12 year olds. So don’t think that younger kids (but in middle school, not elementary school) can’t handle this Medieval party! They just improvise at a different, simpler level, PROVIDED the group is one that enjoys a challenge.

If you’re looking to entertain your pre-teen or teenage group for several hours at your next birthday party, and looking to preserve your sanity as well, do take a look at the Birthday Party Games Lady Medieval Madness Party.

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Is there a special child in your life getting ready to celebrate his or her birth? If so, you need to start thinking about the activities that provide the fun your child and his or her friends. After all, nothing is worse than a room full of kids who have nothing to do and are bored. Engaging and fun birthday party games are the only way to ensure that the party is a true success.

Too many of the old standard games involve one child doing, the rest watching. A sure recipe for boredom: wandering off to create a mess, or making comments that upset the flow or divert the kids. Your party activities need to involve ALL of the children ALL of the time. Then, everything will remain under control and you won’t have to be the bad cop keeping the kids in line.

Interactive games are the answer. Party games that you can link to your party’s theme, which will enhance the fun and engagement. Activities that involve everyone and everyone works together toward a common purpose. Throw in some thinking and you’ve got a winning scenario for your party.

Have the kids’ solve a mystery or puzzle, put on a skit, create something as a group. Challenge them and give them incentive, and you’ll be surprised what they can accomplish- even in a ‘party’ setting. These kinds of activities will actually end up saving you money too. When the kids are really involved in the games, they don’t need, won’t focus on or even notice those expensive paper goods or decorations, so you needn’t spend the money.

Make sure your planned activities are flexible. You will want to be able to party inside, if needed, because you never know when it might rain. Have an extra game up your sleeve, just in case something comes up and one does not work out as planned. Have a timed schedule for all your planned activities, so you can move things along at the proper pace for your age group, but be always ready to make a change as needed.

One great way to get all of the flexible and affordable birthday party games you need in one convenient place is by visiting the Birthday Party Games Lady. Created by a mom like you, I spent many, many hours planning activities for my own kids’ birthday celebrations. I’ve learned what works, and what doesn’t. And now I offer you the chance to purchase and download complete parties from the website. Five of them with themes that are things kids love, like a Survivor challenge and Harry Potter. Visit today at http://www.birthdaypartygameslady.com/ to see all five of these winning parties for kids age 6 to 13. You will have all that you need to throw the most memorable celebration for your child’s special day in one convenient package.

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